A for Effort
by Peach Creek
Summary: Kevedd one-shot. Edd got a B on an assignment and he is less than pleased. Kevin knows just how to cheer him up. Rated M for language.


The bell rang to announce the lunch hour, but Edd couldn't move. He sat glued to his desk, eyes staring vacantly out the window. On the desk in front of him sat a single sheet of paper, flipped over so the blank backside stared up at the ceiling. Students filed out into the hall, chattering and laughing. A few of them glanced his way, vague concern creasing their faces, but they left him alone and soon the classroom was empty. The teacher offered a sympathetic smile as she left, but he wasn't looking to see it. Shaking her head, she let the door close behind her. She knew she could trust him not to break anything; she was content to let her favorite student have his alone time.

Once the door was shut and the noise from the hallway had receded, Edd slumped down and put his head on the desk. His forehead rested a mere fraction of an inch from the paper, that accursed paper with its offending red marks. His teacher had assured him that this lab assignment would have little effect on his final grade, if any, and of course he knew that to be true for he had done the math to confirm so himself, but... He put his hands on top of his head and sighed. _Eighty-nine percent,_ he thought. Eighty-nine point four percent, to be exact, was the grade written across the top of the worksheet. A tenth of a point made the difference between an A grade and a B grade, and he just hadn't tried hard enough. He knew exactly what he'd done wrong; he just hadn't taken the time to fix it. He beat his head lightly on the desk edge a few times. _Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

The second bell rang to inform the students that they ought to be in the cafeteria by now. Edd sat back and looked out of the window again. From the classroom he could just barely see the corner of the cafeteria building. Eddy and Ed stood outside, waiting for him. He felt a twinge of guilt for abandoning them, but he knew they wouldn't understand. He could hear them now. _It's just a stupid grade, what's the big deal?_ Eddy would say. Ed, considerate friend that he was, would be a bit kinder, likely with a reference to some comic book that Edd couldn't even begin to understand. His friends would never understand Edd's care for academic pursuits. He sighed and put his head down again in case Eddy decided to look for him. His glasses caught the first few tears that fell from his eyes. He took them off and set them on the edge of the desk.

It was just as well that Edd never saw Kevin during the lunch hour. He wasn't sure how he would react to Edd crying over a B grade, but he knew his boyfriend would be less than sympathetic. He let the tears flow, letting everything out before his next class. He was sorely disappointed with himself and was perfectly content to spend the next fifty minutes beating himself up about it. He adjusted, pulling his feet up onto the chair so he could hide his face in his knees.

"Double D's classroom is down here, you _dork_!"

Edd froze, straining to hear the voice that floated down the hallway. _Kevin…?_

"You're a fucking moron! I think I know where my best friend's classroom is."

"Shows what kind of friend _you_ are!"

"Shut the hell up, Shovelchin!"

"Guys, don't fight…"

"Stay out of this, Lumpy! Come on, we're going this way."

"But Eddy, I think Kevin's right. I feel Double D's brainwaves coming from this way."

"Told you!"

"Shut _up_, douchebag! I'm not following Edd's _brainwaves_."

"Why? You scared I'm right?"

"Hell no! In fact, ten bucks says you're wrong!"

"You're on!"

Footsteps came rushing down the hall toward the door and Edd panicked. He snatched the paper from the desk and shoved it into his bag. He stood to run to the closet at the back of the room, but the strap of his bag snagged on the desk, jerking him back. He crashed into the desk, sending it and two chairs flying. The noise was deafening. Edd sat on the floor holding the sore spot on his head, fresh tears running down his face. Suddenly the door flew open as three grown boys tried to enter the room at the same time. Edd glanced up and sniffled.

"Ow," he whispered.

Eddy gave him a funny look. "Ugh, fine! Come on, Lumpy."

"But Eddy," Ed began, throwing a concerned look Edd's way.

"Put a sock in it, Ed. We're leaving." Eddy pushed Ed through the door, pausing to slap a ten dollar bill into Kevin's hand before slamming the door.

Kevin snickered and pocketed the money. He looked down at Edd and took in the wreck of desks and chairs. Rushing over, he knelt and carefully removed Edd's hands from his head. He slid the black hat off, handing it to the sniffling boy, and gingerly spread his fingers across Edd's scalp, testing for damage. Edd winced when Kevin passed over the lump on the back of his head but seemed generally unharmed. Sighing in relief, Kevin sat back and watched Edd replace the hat on his head.

"You really need to be more careful, babe." Kevin opened his arms to his boyfriend and Edd scooted over into the embrace. "What on earth were you doing, anyway?"

"Escaping," Edd mumbled. He pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"Escaping? From what?"

"You."

"Me?!"

"And Eddy and Ed as well."

Kevin rubbed Edd's shoulders, working out the tension he knew Edd carried there. "Does this have to do with why you skipped out on lunch?"

Edd nodded.

"Want to tell me what's going on?"

Edd shook his head firmly.

"Alright, alright, don't have a heart attack. We don't have to talk about it."

Kevin wrapped his arms around Edd, legs and all, and picked him up, earning a surprised squeak and a muffled "put me down this instant!" from the little dork. He deposited his boyfriend on the counter that ran along the wall and went back to straighten the room up. He picked up the desk and chairs, scooting them haphazardly into place. He bent down to collect Edd's bag and glasses from the floor, giving Edd a nice view of his backside. He glanced over his shoulder and was pleased to note that Edd was checking him out, pale cheeks flushed pink. Kevin walked back over and leaned against the counter in between Edd's legs. He set the bag on the floor and pulled out Edd's glasses. He settled them on his own nose and raised his eyebrow as high as he could. Edd giggled and took them away, wiping them on his shirt before placing them on his face where they belonged. Kevin beamed at him and nuzzled into his neck.

"Kevin! We're in school!" Edd whined.

"And?" Kevin nipped playfully at his earlobe. "Come on, babe. Everyone's at lunch."

"Mmm…" Edd debated, looking fearfully toward the door. "I-I suppose…just this once…"

Kevin grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to Edd's. Edd kissed back, hesitantly at first and then with fervor. He bit down on Kevin's lip, eliciting a groan from the redhead. His tongue darted out to taste Kevin's. Their lips found a rhythm, moving together as Kevin's hands explored the warm skin under Edd's shirt. Edd's hands grasped the collar of Kevin's shirt, pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, prolonging it, making it sweet and filling it with love. Kevin moved his hands up to cradle Edd's face before wrapping around his waist in a tender hug. Edd buried his face in Kevin's shoulder, smiling.

"Thank you," he breathed. "I needed that."

"Anytime." They broke apart, Edd's hand resting on Kevin's shoulder. "So I was thinking…"

"That's dangerous!" Edd teased.

"Haha, you're very funny. We don't technically have practice today since today's weight day. I was thinking, how about I skip out early and we can go catch a movie or something? They're showing that weird new indie movie you've been wanting to see at seven."

Edd's eyes lit up, but he bit his lip in reluctance. "I would love to, but it is a school night. I must regretfully decline."

"That's okay. Would you feel better if we rented a movie and watched it at your place? We can order pizza, and I'll even let you put veggies on it, and you can do homework to your heart's content. I promise I won't distract you." Kevin crossed his fingers behind his back and waggled his eyebrows.

Edd giggled, giving him a playful shove. "I suppose that sounds reasonable. I would quite like that."

"Good." Kevin moved in for another kiss. "Now, come on. You should eat, and I _guess_ we should let your dork friends know you're okay."

Edd nodded and hopped off the counter. They weaved through the desks toward the door. Kevin stepped on something that crackled. He moved his foot to the side and picked up the sheet of paper. It had Edd's name on it, but the grade wasn't right. He held it up, face twisted in confusion.

"Edd, you got a B?"

Edd paled and snatched at the paper. "That's none of your concern! Give that to me, please!"

Kevin skipped back, holding the paper high above his head. "Nope. Is this why you were upset?"

"So what if it was?" Edd felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "I do not expect you to understand my emotions regarding this matter, and I would appreciate if you would give me back my paper now!"

Kevin held the sheet out but refused to release his grip on it when Edd pulled. He felt a little bit hurt that Edd didn't trust him to care. Sure, he certainly had no idea why such a respectable grade would bother the kid, but he knew how important grades were to him. He yanked on the paper, pulling Edd toward him, and grabbed him up in a tight hug.

"Hey, I'm sorry, dork," he said. "I know you must be pretty bummed. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your final grade will still be a lot better than anyone else's."

"I know that," Edd mumbled.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I just…I could have received a much higher score. I was sloppy and I made a mistake. I should have checked it before I turned it in, but I didn't make time for that." Edd sighed. "It doesn't matter now."

"Hey, if it bothers you, then it matters. How much time would it have taken you to fix it?"

Edd shrugged. "It would not have taken any longer than fifteen minutes, I would say."

"Alright then." Kevin held out his pinky finger. "From now on, I'll go home fifteen minutes early if you'll promise to use that time to check your work. I don't want to see you cry over your grades ever again."

Edd looped his pinky through Kevin's and smiled. "I promise."

"Good." Kevin pulled their hands up to his face and kissed Edd's pinky. "Let's go."

Edd slid the paper into his bag and reached out for Kevin's hand. They left the classroom and retrieved Edd's lunch from his locker. Kevin pressed a kiss into the back of Edd's hand before they parted ways, Edd sliding into his seat beside Eddy and Kevin tackling one of the football players at the opposite end of the cafeteria. Ed was overjoyed to see his friend, offering Edd a generous portion of his mashed potatoes and gravy, a gift that Edd was quick to turn down. He nibbled at his sandwich, watching Kevin horse around with his friends. The redhead caught his eye and winked, blowing a kiss. Edd waved back shyly and smiled to himself.

_Perhaps today was not so bad after all._


End file.
